Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Degrees

Hood offers three undergraduate degrees: the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Candidates for these degrees must complete requirements as outlined below. It is the responsibility of the student to be sure that all degree and major requirements are fulfilled by graduation.

General Requirements

Demonstration of the ability to write and speak standard English (included in the grade evaluation for every course at Hood College).

Compliance with all general regulations of the College and of the Student Government Association.

Graduation Requirements

Completion of at least 124 credits in courses numbered 100 or above.

Achievement of a 2.0 cumulative Grade Point Average.

Enrollment in the final 30 credits on the Hood campus as a degree candidate.

Completion of the College Core Curriculum.

Completion of all major requirements.

Major Requirements

A 2.0 cumulative Grade Point Average in courses in the major discipline must be maintained.

A minimum of 12 credits of course work in the major discipline must be completed at Hood.

A minimum of 15 credits of course work in the major discipline must be completed at the 300-level or above.

The Second Degree

Students who wish to earn any two degrees (B.A. and B.S.) concurrently must accumulate 154 semester hours of credit and fulfill Core Curriculum requirements for both degrees and the requirements for both majors.

Students already holding a bachelor’s degree who wish to earn a second bachelor’s degree, must accumulate at least 30 credits as a degree candidate at Hood and meet all degree and major requirements. Some departments require more than two semesters of full-time enrollment. Determination of how many credits must be earned at Hood for the second degree is made by the registrar, based on evaluation of the transcript from the original degree-granting institution.

A second bachelor’s degree is offered through the Encore Program to Hood alumnae and alumni who hold a B.A. or B.S. from Hood. (This program is not available to alumnae and alumni who have only attended Hood’s Graduate School.) The same provisions apply as above, but at one-half tuition. Hood graduates apply for reinstatement as degree candidates through the Registrar’s Office.

The Hood College Core Curriculum

The Core Curriculum is required of all students. All students admitted as a first-year student must fulfill the Foundation and Methods of Inquiry areas of the core. Transfer students with an A.A., A.A.T. or A.S. degree from an accredited institution in the State of Maryland are exempt from the Foundation and Methods of Inquiry areas of the Core with the exception of the Global Perspectives requirement which may be fulfilled with appropriate transfer courses. Students without the associate degrees mentioned, but transferring with at least 56 credits, and transfer students pursuing the B.S. in Computer Science or B.S. in Computational Science should refer to the core requirements information listed at the end of this section. Students pursuing the B.S. in Nursing, admitted with the A.S. are exempt from the Foundations and Methods of Inquiry areas, but must complete the Global Perspectives area of the Core.

The purpose of the Core Curriculum is to provide students with the basic skills needed to pursue a liberal arts education, to expose them to a variety of modes of inquiry in different disciplines, and to promote critical reflection about global perspectives.

Students entering Hood as a first-year student who plan to pursue the B.S. degree in Computer Science or the B.S. in Computational Science must complete the Foundation and Methods of Inquiry sections of the Hood College Core Curriculum.

Transfer students planning to pursue the B.S. degree in Computer Science or Computational Science who have not earned an A.A., A.A.T. or A.S. degree from an accredited institution in the State of Maryland must complete a minimum of 40 credits in liberal arts and sciences courses at Hood College or another institution, including the following:

English Composition (3 credits)

Oral Communication (3 credits) (It is recommended that this course emphasize the practice, rather than just theory.)

Arts and Humanities (9 credits)

Mathematics (3 credits) (at the pre-calculus level or higher)

Biological and Physical Sciences (3 credits)

Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 credits)

Physical Education or Health (2 credits)

Core Requirements - Bachelor of Arts Degree/A.A. Equivalence

Transfer students who have not earned an A.A., A.A.T. or A.S. degree from an accredited institution in the State of Maryland may still be eligible for an exemption of Hood’s Foundation and Methods of Inquiry core requirements. Upon evaluation of transcripts of all prior college level work, students determined to have completed at least 56 transferable credits and the appropriate General Education distribution as listed below will be granted A.A. equivalency.

English Composition (3 credits) (completed with a grade of C- or better)

Arts and Humanities (6 credits) (may be from the same discipline)

Mathematics (3 credits) (100-level)

Science (7-8 credits) (two courses; one must be a lab course)

Social and Behavioral Science (6 credits) (may be from same discipline)

Transfer students whose only deficiency in meeting the A.A. equivalency requirements as listed above is in either the math or English composition requirement, will be given the opportunity to complete an appropriate math or English composition course at Hood College in their first semester of course work. Upon completion of the English composition or math course at Hood, A.A. equivalency will be awarded.­­

All students must satisfy the Global Perspectives category of the Core. Appropriate transfer courses may fulfill this requirement.

In this section

Through an integration of the liberal arts and the professions, Hood College provides an education that empowers students to use their hearts, minds and hands to meet personal, professional and global challenges and to lead purposeful lives of responsibility, leadership, service and civic engagement.